James Bay On Tour With A New Song And A New Look

The singer will hit North America has he promotes his upcoming new material.

It's been three years, but James Bay is finally returning with new material led by his latest track 'Wild Love'. Plus, he'll be embarking on a brief North American tour this Spring in between European spots and a number of festival dates. Be warned though; he's cut his trademark long locks!

James Bay at the 2017 MTV EMAs

The 27-year-old has ditched his fedora and long hair for a dark, short but floppy look in the promos for his newest single 'Wild Love'. We have to say, we're loving the transformation. With that comes a musical evolution, with the new song taking on a more electronic sound than the stripped back folk aesthetic of his debut.

'I know some of this new sound was not apparent on my first album - there were hints, perhaps - but I think my new music helps to paint a fuller picture of who I am', James said in a statement. 'As soon as I recognized I was being pinned down as 'the intimate acoustic guitar guy' I realized I knew I had to push myself musically.'

James dropped his debut album 'Chaos and the Calm' in 2015, topping the UK charts and earning himself a Brits Critics' Choice Award along with three Grammy nominations. But that wasn't enough to convince this Hertfordshire singer-songwriter that he was going in the right direction.

'I want it as part of my arsenal, but I don't want that solely to define me', he said of his debut. 'I'm not there yet, but hope that this new music can do for singer-songwriter, loosely, what Drake and Chance The Rapper are doing for their genre: tearing up the rule book.'

Hopefully, he'll be showing off more of this new sound on his forthcoming tour dates. Following at Brixton Electric in London on March 15th, he'll jet off to North America for a series of nine dates in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC and Toronto.